Airbnb Vows to Take Greater Measures to Combat Discrimination by Its Hosts

After facing longstanding criticism from customers who said they were rejected by hosts due to their race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender, or disability, Airbnb announced on Thursday that they will institute more comprehensive measures to stop such discrimination in their short-term rentals.

"Discrimination is the opposite of belonging, and its existence on our platform jeopardizes this core mission. Bias and discrimination have no place on Airbnb, and we have zero tolerance for them," said CEO and cofounder Brian Chesky in a statement on Thursday. "Unfortunately, we have been slow to address these problems, and for this I am sorry. I take responsibility for any pain or frustration this has caused members of our community. We will not only make this right; we will work to set an example that other companies can follow."

According to The New York Times, Airbnb recently introduced a new nondiscrimination policy that the company says will go beyond anti-discrimination laws. User photos will no longer be a prominent part of the booking process—a huge catalyst for discriminatory behavior, as they indicate race, gender, and age (among other characteristics)—and hosts will be strongly encouraged to adopt a feature that allows guest to instantly book rooms without requiring a host's approval. Additionally, company employees will undergo anti-bias training all users will need to sign a "community commitment" to work with all people, regardless of age, gender, race, or other characteristics, by November 1.

“An increasing number of Airbnb hosts and guests have voiced their concerns about being discriminated against when trying to book a listing because of their race, sexual orientation or gender identity,” wrote Laura Murphy, the former director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Washington legislative office who joined Airbnb to investigate discrimination and bias, in an internal report released by the company. “This outcry from the community led Airbnb to closely examine their nondiscrimination policies and procedures.”

Since its founding in 2008, Airbnb has experienced massive growth—as well as numerous complaints from prospective renters saying they were discriminated against and denied lodging by hosts due to personal characteristics. In December 2015, a report from Harvard University revealed "widespread discrimination," within the company and concluded that that guests with African-American-sounding names were 16 percent less likely to be rented a room than those with white-sounding ones. And in May 2016, Gregory Selden, a 25-year-old African American man, filed a discrimination suit against the company after being repeatedly denied service because of his race (making matters worse: Selden had created fake profiles for white guest that used information comparable to his own and had no trouble booking rooms for them).

Though this new policy is certainly a step in the right direction—as is the recent assembly of a permanent team of engineers to examine possible bias in how the company operates and as the appointment of specialists like Murphy, former United States attorney general Eric Holder, and Washington civil rights attorney John Relman to provide counsel on discrimination complaints—these measures lack one major component: Consequences for hosts who previously discriminated against prospective guests. The company plans to launch a feature in the first half of 2017 that will prevent guests from being denied service—and block hosts from denying anyone service—but what will be done to address prior instances of discrimination remains unclear.